Orlando Pride
How the 2024 Orlando Pride Stack Up against the Best Clubs in World Soccer
The Pride are off to a tremendous start to their NWSL season, but how do they compare to many of the other top clubs across the world?
As someone who majored in mathematics in college, I love when I find an answer to a problem and it is undoubtedly and unassailably correct. I like the analysis and the problem-solving parts too, but for me the best part of any math problem is when I find the answer and I know that there is no more work to do for that problem. In mathematics there is a defined answer, and the only question is why did Dr. (Redacted) at the Harvard of the South Rollins College always take points off for not showing my work even though I had the correct answer all most of the time? I fear I may have gone off track.
Where I want to go this week is an evaluation of the Pride and whether the 2024 version is one of the best clubs in the world — a question that, unlike those math problems I like so much, does not have a simple, defined answer. I mean, in the end the answer will be either yes or no, which is about as simple as it gets, but the dreaded phrase “it is a matter of perspective” looms large over any question about “who is the best?”
Mathematicians like questions that end in “st,” like ones about answering who/what achieved the most, highest, farthest (though not furthest, thank you Finding Forrester), fastest, or was the least, lowest, nearest, or slowest, but even though best qualifies as ending in those two letters, there is no simple mathematical way to show best in most cases. State fairs and the Winchester Dog Show’s judges may disagree with their Best in Show awards, but when it comes to the “best” teams in women’s soccer, we can try to quantify, but we also have to qualify, because women’s soccer does not yet have a true global competition pitting leading clubs against one another.
In the last two years we have had an incredible Olympic tournament and World Cup in the women’s game, both viewed by millions across the world, and both of those tournaments will play a large role in my evaluation of how to determine which club teams are the best right now in 2024. While we have a limited sample of club vs. club games that we can use to compare teams from different leagues all over the world, what we can do is look at the players who are on high-performing teams and look at collections of talent to compare those against one another.
I looked at the rosters of all the club teams across every women’s league tracked on fbref.com, which includes the following (apologies for the long list, but it is important to see for perspective): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. There are of course many other women’s leagues across the world, including some with outstanding teams, but I am relying on the available data to evaluate teams, and Opta, the company that tracks all the data and provides it to fbref.com, has not yet decided to track women’s leagues in China, Mexico, Portugal, Scotland, and many others.
Across all of those tracked leagues are nearly 200 women’s teams, and that includes the leagues that have produced most of the winners of the continental competitions in Europe and South America for as long as they have existed (Europe since 2001 and South America since 2009). Asia and North America are both rolling out continental women’s “Champions Leagues” for the first time in 2024 and 2025, and Africa has had a women’s Champions League since 2021, but aside from the leagues in Japan and the United States, none of the leagues in Africa, Asia, or North America are tracked in as easily accessible places. I hope this changes soon, and once more data is available, I will certainly use it when I compare players, leagues, and teams.
That said, I do have a working database of nearly 200 women’s club teams for this season (2023-2024 for the leagues where their season has finished and 2024 year to date for the clubs that are currently in season). I also have a thorough database of all the players who played in the 2024 Olympics and in the 2023 World Cup, since tracking is much better at the national team level. Looking at the 190+ teams, here are the total players in each league who competed in either, or in some cases both, tournaments (Notes: a player like Grace Chanda, who has not yet dressed for the Pride, does not count toward the NWSL’s totals; Medal winners means the teams that finished first, second, or third):
Looking at this list, which was sorted by the count of participants who competed in the 2023 World Cup, there is a clear top three among the leagues when looking at which leagues produced the most participants in the last two major international tournaments. Some of this data may include a little double counting, as players may have played for multiple teams during the season, so they show up in the same league multiple times, but I do not believe there would be any major shifts were I to get the fine-tooth comb out. And I have shaved my head since 2006, so in all honesty I would have to get my son’s comb and that one is designed for boys, so it would be so fine toothed it might not even allow any data to stay. I think we just move on.
England’s WSL, Spain’s Liga F, and the NWSL in the U.S. all are top three in Olympians and World Cup participants, and while that does not mean that they have all of the best (and again, how is best defined?) players in the world, it does mean that they have the most (ah, a beautiful word with a clear definition) players who were selected to compete on behalf of their nations in the two most recent major tournaments.
Injuries do play a role here, as Mallory Swanson, for example, would have played in the 2023 World Cup except for an injury, and she is but one of likely double digits’ worth of players who play on a club today but did not make their national team due to injury. Some national teams are extremely deep as well, so a player like Alex Morgan did not make the U.S. team for the Olympics but she almost certainly would have made the roster for several, if not many, of the other nations that qualified.
That said, the numbers are the numbers, and looking at them you can see that the three deepest leagues seem to be the ones at the top of that chart. This will be critical when we try to compare team performance across leagues, because being at or near the top in a league full of elite players is much different than being at or near the top in a league where only a few teams have all of the elite players.
Now, let’s take a look at that same chart, but looking at club teams instead of leagues (Note: there are five other clubs that also had six World Cup participants, but none had as many Olympians as did the Pride so I did not include all of them on the chart):
The Pride are tied for 19th for World Cup participants, which is pret-ty, pret-ty good. And if you look at the total medal wins for the Olympics plus the World Cup, the Pride have five (you are welcome for me doing the tough addition of five plus zero for you), which ranks them tied for seventh. I mentioned earlier that I was not able to pull in every league and club into my dataset, but I did look at every Olympic and World Cup medal-winning player, and there are no clubs from other leagues that would rank higher than the Pride for medal winners, though there are some clubs like Benfica of Portugal and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa that had more than the Pride’s six World Cup participants.
So the Pride are looking pretty good for participants in recent major tournaments, but tournaments have qualification rounds and sometimes good teams have a bad spell and miss a tournament. A better indication might be looking at FIFA’s list of the top-ranked national teams, since that is determined by all games played by a national team and not just in the two most recent major tournaments. Zambia, for example, played in both the World Cup and the Olympics but is currently ranked 64th in the world, so having a player on Zambia, as the Pride do, may actually not be as impressive as having a player on Iceland, which is ranked 14th in the world but did not qualify for the World Cup or the Olympics.
Looking at clubs in this manner changes the analysis quite a bit, and the Pride fall from being a team in the top 20ish to a team in the top 40ish if I change the evaluation to be clubs with players on national teams ranked in the top 25 of FIFA’s rankings. The Pride have five players who have played on top 25 national teams this season — Adriana, Angelina, Marta, and Rafaelle from Brazil and Emily Sams from the U.S. — but there are 15 clubs that have twice that number or more, and the list is topped by Chelsea (22), Arsenal (20), and Barcelona (18). Going back from club to full league and ranking the leagues by count of players on top 25 national teams, the list still is led by England, but now the gap is even larger, and Germany has surpassed Spain into the top three. There really is a clear number one and then four sitting tightly bunched behind, and then another gap after that:
Looking at the data this way again shows the depth of the league in England, with well more than 100 players who play on top 25 national teams and who also ply their trade in England’s Women’s Super League, and that is across a league of only 12 teams. By contrast the NWSL had less than half as many players who play on top 25 national teams and our league has 14 teams.
As I mentioned previously the Pride have five players on top 25 national teams, which ranks them tied for fifth in the NWSL, behind San Diego (10), Gotham (9), Portland (8), and Washington (6) and tied with Kansas City, Chicago, and Houston. In fact every NWSL team except for Louisville has a player on a top 25 national team, and 10 of the 14 teams have at least three. Only the leagues in England and the U.S. have 10 or more teams with at least three top 25 national team players, which leads me to my next chart.
The Pride have earned 79% of the possible points they could earn this season (38 points out of a possible 48), but the team only has five top 25 national team players out of the NWSL’s total of 63, for a total of 8%. That 79% number seems like pretty high percentage of total points earned, but it actually ranks 20th among the 189 teams among all the 2024 leagues I have been writing about thus far, as you can see below:
There were two other takeaways from this chart:
- A total of 12 of the 16 leagues have at least one team that earned a higher percentage of points than the Pride, who are leading the NWSL thus far this season and are well ahead of the pace of last year’s champions, the Wave, who finished the season earning 56% of their possible points.
- The Pride are leading the NWSL but with a much lower percentage of top national team players on their roster, meaning that: a) the top teams in other leagues are disproportionately heavy with elite national team players (all leagues have at least 10 teams, so if players were evenly dispersed, the expected percentages would be closer to 10% or lower), and b) the makeup of the Pride is markedly different than most of the other highly performing teams.
Markedly different does not mean worse, it just means in a different manner. The Pride have an elite level talent in Barbra Banda, who plays for her national team but that national team is not an elite team, even though she is an elite talent. And speaking of elite talent, since 2021 ESPN has used a panel of experts to rank the top 50 players in women’s soccer, and during the three seasons (2021, 2022, and 2023) when the outlet has put out these rankings, the Pride are one of fewer than 30 clubs in the world that currently have at least one player who was ranked in the top 50 during at least one of the last three years, and as you surely guessed, that is Marta, who was in the top 50 in 2021, though not on the 2022 or 2023 versions of the list.
When ESPN comes out with its 2024 list, I expect that Barbra Banda will be ranked high on it, meaning that in most games the Pride are rolling out one player who is currently considered one of the world’s best (Banda), one who was in a recent year and who is still playing at a high level (Marta), four others who are on elite-level national teams (Adriana, Angelina, Rafaelle, and Sams), one who was recently called into the camp of an elite national team (Anna Moorhouse), one who can successfully dribble through a hospital full of people chasing her while also interrupting an MRI, a surgery, and physical therapy without hurting anyone (Kerry Abello — I believe she is the only player in the world who has done this), one who made the roster for the U-20 USWNT World Cup squad (Ally Lemos), and then a full rest of the roster that has contributed to an undefeated start and taking 79% of the possible points from a league that is deep with talent from top to bottom. This is a strong team.
There is one site I found that does have a ranking of women’s teams across the world, and you can find its 2023 club ranking here. The site does not disclose its algorithm, but it did rank the 2023 Pride tied for 132nd in the world, and that was a team that did not win a game in the NWSL Challenge Cup and did not make the 2023 playoffs either.
The 2024 Pride are objectively much better than the 2023 Pride, and in looking at their record (top of the league) and goal differential (+20 overall, +1.25 per game played) in a league that is clearly one of the three, and debatably one of the two, best leagues in the world, as well as the pedigree of the players the Pride have on their team, I think that I can answer the question in the title of this story with a yes. The 2024 Pride are one of the best clubs in the world, and I think they are likely in the top 10-15%.
How close are they to the top of the list, though? That is for another article…at the end of the season.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 0-0 as Pride Remain Unbeaten in 2024
The Pride played to a scoreless draw with the Kansas City Current, ending their win streak but extending their unbeaten run.
The Orlando Pride (14-0-6, 48 points) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end, but extended their unbeaten run tonight with a scoreless draw against the Kansas City Current (11-3-6, 39 points) at Inter&Co Stadium.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed the same lineup as the previous two games, wins over NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Chicago Red Stars. It’s the first time Hines has used the same lineup in three consecutive games since a three-game stretch last year from April 29 to May 14. Anna Moorhouse started in goal behind a back line of Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were the defensive midfielders behind Summer Yates, Marta, and Adriana with Barbra Banda up top.
The Current are a good transition team and put most of their players behind the ball looking for the counterattack. This strategy made them hard to break down, so quality chances for the Pride were hard to come by. Despite finding Kansas City hard to break down, the Pride were able to create several decent looks. The Current also found opportunities on counterattacks, and nearly scored before halftime, but the Pride were able to come away with a clean sheet.
“It’s incredibly tough,” Hines said about the Current playing behind the ball. “Kansas are a great team. They’ve got a lot of players who could really hurt you in transition, and obviously we were mindful of that. We probably weren’t as brave as we usually are in the middle to attacking third. But I thought, again, we created enough opportunities to try to win it. I think, you know, Kansas’ game plan was trying almost a smash-and-grab kind of game plan. Try to be defensively solid and hit us on the counterattack. There was probably one or two moments where we lacked a little bit of concentration, but nothing resulted in a goal, which was pleasing.”
The Pride got off to an attacking start, getting into the Kansas City box inside the first minute. Banda’s cross was blocked but not cleared. Adriana took possession, playing it back to Yates, who found McCutcheon at the top of the box. The midfielder took the game’s first shot, but Debinha got in front to block it.
The Current got their first chance of the game in the 12th minute when Debinha played Ellie Wheeler wide on the right. Hailie Mace was making a run with space towards the back post where Wheeler sent the cross. The Kansas City defender attempted to volley the ball on target but missed wide.
Marta took the game’s first shot on target in the 17th minute. Receiving the ball while pushing forward, the Pride captain shot from distance between a pair of defenders. It was a solid strike but too close to Current goalkeeper Almuth Schult, who made the easy stop.
A minute later, Banda got her first attempt at goal. Shielding Vanessa DiBernardo, the striker was aiming for the near post but missed wide.
On the other end, DiBernardo got a shot for herself, Kansas City’s first attempt on target. The midfielder’s shot from outside the box was curving away from Moorhouse and towards the far post, but the Pride goalkeeper was able to dive to her right and push the ball away.
The Current created an attack in the 23rd minute when Debhina received a pass, spun her defender, and played Temwa Chawinga forward. The league’s top goal scorer quickly found Nichelle Prince to her right, and the Canadian took Sams into the box. However, the Pride center back did well to stay in front of the attacker, blocking the eventual shot.
The visitors nearly had a dangerous chance in the 27th minute when Sams knocked the ball off of Prince’s foot, but the forward got a fortunate bounce. Chawinga was making a run to the top of the six and Prince played the ball in for her. However, Strom got to it first, clearing the ball away to end the threat.
The Pride went the other way and Adriana put the Pride’s second shot on target in the 28th minute. Receiving a pass forward from Marta, the midfielder had Banda making a run into the box. It looked like she would play her teammate through, but took a long-distance shot instead. It was on target, but didn’t cause any trouble for Schult.
Chawinga had a chance in the 31st minute after taking possession just inside the Pride half of the field. The striker dribbled to the top of the box and took a touch inside to lose Dyke. She had just enough space to get a shot off and put it on target, but the low attempt was easily collected by Moorhouse.
The Current got a breakaway in the 40th minute when Prince tried to play the ball over the back line. It fell for Sams, who misplayed it, enabling Chawinga to get in on goal. As Chawinga dribbled around Moorhouse, Dyke retreated to the goal line. Chawinga let the ball get a little too far in front of her, missing wide of the near post.
The Pride players felt they should’ve had a goal in the 43rd minute when Strom’s cross into the box was too close to Schult. While her teammates couldn’t reach it, the ball sailed to the goal line. Schult caught the ball right in front as Banda and Yates threw their arms up, claiming the ball crossed the line. However, it was clearly still in play.
In the 45th minute, Banda found Adriana to her right. The midfielder looked to take Mace into the box one-on-one, but shot from distance instead. The ensuing corner kick was played short and ruled to be offside on the return pass, the last action of the half as the referee blew for the break with no stoppage time.
While the Pride had more possession (53%-47%), corner kicks (4-0), crosses (12-3), and slightly better passing accuracy (86%-85%), the Current recorded two more shots (7-5) and both teams put two chances on target.
“We just needed to stay locked in,” Dyke said about the halftime message. “With the way they were sitting off, we know that they were just waiting for their moment to pick us off and go. So, just going into the second half, being super disciplined. But also, we wanted a goal. We wanted those three points. So to still go at them and bring that high energy in the second half.”
It looked like the Current had a great chance to open the scoring in the 46th minute when Debinha played Prince behind the back line. The forward shot for the far post and Moorhouse just got a touch on it and tipped it wide. However, the flag went up as Prince was well offside when the ball was played through.
Banda nearly gave the Pride the lead in the 52nd minute when she won the ball from Lo’eau LaBonta, tapped the ball around Alana Cook, and fired on target. It took an excellent save from Schult to tip the ball over the crossbar and keep the game scoreless.
The ensuing corner kick was cleared away to Dyke, who played it back outside for Marta. McCutcheon met the Brazilian’s second cross but sent her header wide of the near post.
In the 56th minute, LaBonta lifted a pass just over the foot of McCutcheon to Chawinga near the top of the box. The striker took a touch inside to get space from Dyke and shot on goal. The shot was heading inside the near post, but Moorhouse tipped it wide. The ensuing corner kick was cleared and the game remained scoreless.
Hines made his first change of the game in the 60th minute. It was a somewhat surprising one as Yates and Julie Doyle tend to replace each other around the hour mark. However, this time it was Evelina Duljan coming on for Yates.
Bia Zaneratto, who came on when the Pride made their substitution, played the ball forward for Chawinga in the 64th minute. The striker got behind Dyke and sent a low shot for the far post. Moorhouse was unable to get down to get a piece of it, but the ball rolled wide of the target anyway.
During the buildup, Angelina went down and required medical attention. It was a scary moment for the Pride as the midfielder suffered an injury earlier this year. Fortunately, she was able to get up on her own and continue.
The crowd buzzed with excitement in the 67th minute when Duljan played Banda into the opposing third of the field. However, the striker was the only player in purple near the ball while the Current had several defenders back. The Zambian sent a weak ball towards goal that rolled wide without causing any problems for Schult or the Kansas City defense.
The Pride had a great opportunity in the 71st minute when Wheeler went over Duljan, giving the Pride a free kick just outside of the box. Angelina tapped the ball so Marta could shoot, but the Pride captain didn’t get much on it and the Current were able to clear.
Shortly after the set piece, Hines made his second change of the night as Morgan Gautrat, fresh off her new contract, came on for Angelina.
Marta showed her skill in the 80th minute with a stepover that left DiBernardo injured on the ground. The veteran took a long-distance shot for the far post, but Schulte dove and knocked it wide.
The Current cleared, but the Pride quickly regained possession. Receiving the ball from Banda outside the box, Marta took another shot from distance, forcing Schult into another diving save. This time the goalkeeper was able to hold onto the ball.
Desiree Scott upended Strom in the 85th minute, causing the center back to flip and land on her back. Strom required some medical attention after the hard fall, but she was eventually able to continue. In the meantime, the Pride were awarded a free kick.
Marta sent the set piece into the box where McCutcheon beat Michelle Cooper to the ball. She tried to flick the header to the far post and it got past a diving Schult, but the ball bounced just wide.
The Current went the other way and created a chance of their own. Chawinga dribbled forward and played a give-and-go with Zaneratto. She had space for a shot but was too far in front of the ball and fell over while attempting to shoot, sending her shot wide.
The fourth official showed eight minutes of stoppage time and that was enough for the Pride to create a pair of chances. In the sixth minute, Banda dribbled into the opposing third and found Adriana to her right. She laid it off for the midfielder, who shot but sent the attempt over the crossbar.
Duljan tried to create something in the eighth minute with some fancy dribbling, getting past two defenders. Cook blocked the shot, sending it straight to McCutcheon for a second attempt that went wide. That was the final chance for either team as the game ended scoreless.
At full time, the Pride had more possession (52.1%-47.9%), shots (15-12), shots on target (5-3), crosses (18-6), and corner kicks (8-2), and better passing accuracy (88.3%-84.4%). However, despite their statistical advantages, they weren’t able to find a winning goal.
“I think every game, especially at home, we want to walk away with three points. Kansas were a tough nut to crack at times. You know, they got a lot of bodies behind the ball. Very difficult for us to try and create anything,” Hines said about the game. “But I also think there was quite some good opportunities to score as well. I thought their keeper was phenomenal. I thought she was busy enough to try and keep them in the game. But yeah, we’ll take the positive. Another clean sheet, another great defensive display, and we move on. We move forward.”
The clean sheet by Moorhouse is her 11th of the year, tying a league record held by AD Franch and Casey Murphy. It’s her 17th clean sheet as a member of the Pride, extending her team record.
The Pride have now claimed clean sheets in six of their last seven games and four straight. The last time they conceded was to Chawinga on July 6 in the Pride’s 2-1 win in Kansas City. The four straight shutouts breaks a Pride team record and leaves them one short of the league record.
“I think it’s just the heart of this team,” Dyke said about the team’s recent defensive success. “Like everyone is just willing to work so hard for each other. And I think that’s what drives us.”
“I think the stats speak for themselves. You know, I think oftentimes the defense are the unsung heroes, but we take a lot of pride in that,” Abello added. “And, like I said, the clean sheets speak for themselves. And at the end of the day, that’s what’s winning us games and that’s what’s putting us at the top of the table. Yes, we’re dangerous in the attack and yes, we’re putting goals on teams, but being number one in goals conceded, or fewest goals conceded, I think that’s the difference for us so gotta hand it to the back line.”
While the draw ends the Pride’s six-game win streak, it extends their unbeaten run to 20 games this season and 21 games dating back to last year. If you include the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, the Pride have now gone 24 games unbeaten in all competitions.
The Pride remain in first place, extending their lead over the second-place Washington Spirit to seven points. However, the Spirit play the Houston Dash Sunday with a chance to get within four points.
As for the Pride, they’ll head back out on the road, taking on Bay FC on Friday, Sept. 20 in San Jose, CA.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride return home for a battle against the Kansas City Current.
Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (14-0-5, 47 points) welcome the Kansas City Current (11-3-5, 38 points) to Orlando in a matchup between two of the best teams in the NWSL. This is the second and final time the two teams will face off in the 2024 NWSL regular season.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
The Current joined the NWSL in 2021 after the team’s ownership group bought the Utah Royals and relocated the club to Kansas City. It’s the second NWSL team in the city — FC Kansas City played there from 2013 to 2017 before moving to Utah — and the team was known as NWSL Kansas City for its inaugural season.
The Pride and Current have played seven games against each other, all in the regular season. Orlando has a 3-2-2 record in the series and are 1-1-1 at home.
The two teams last met on July 6 in Kansas City. Barbra Banda gave the Pride the lead, but the hosts responded two minutes later through Temwa Chawinga. Despite a second yellow card for Carrie Lawrence dropping the Pride to 10 players just before halftime, Marta converted a second-half penalty, lifting her team to a 2-1 win.
The first time the teams met in 2023 was on April 23 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City. It was scoreless after an hour before the Current got a quick flurry of goals by Debinha and CeCe Kizer, lifting Kansas City to a 2-0 win. On June 23, 2023 in Orlando, the visitors took the lead through Debinha, and Kizer doubled the advantage just before halftime. Marta converted a penalty to pull one back, but the Pride fell 2-1.
Their first meeting in 2022 came on July 31 in Kansas City while the Pride were in the middle of their seven-game unbeaten run. The Pride opened the scoring when Erika Tymrak found the head of Celia and doubled the lead just after halftime through Julie Doyle. The Current stormed back with goals by Elyse Bennett and Kizer, pulling out a 2-2 draw.
The first meeting in 2022 was on May 14 at Exploria Stadium. The Pride took the lead early in the second half on a Gunny Jonsdottir goal. Bennett scored late in the second half, and the visitors appeared to win the game a minute into injury time through Kristen Hamilton. However, Kylie Strom was pulled down in the box five minutes later, resulting in a penalty. With Marta injured, the only player willing to step up to take the penalty was center back Toni Pressley, who drilled the ball into the roof of the net, pulling out a 2-2 draw.
The teams played twice during the 2021 NWSL season, with the first game occurring May 30 at Exploria Stadium. Courtney Petersen found Alex Morgan just outside the six-yard box and the striker headed in the game’s lone goal as the Pride won 1-0.
The Pride and Current met again on June 23 at Legends Field in Kansas City. The Pride had a weakened squad as then-coach Marc Skinner left some key players at home, preparing to lose them to the Olympics. It looked to be costly when Mariana Larroquette gave the hosts the lead late in first-half injury time. But the Pride responded well. Two minutes after Larroquette’s goal, Sydney Leroux’s shot took a deflection off a defender and went in to make it 1-1. Shortly after halftime, Leroux scored on a great individual effort from just outside the box. Marta then scored the goal of the game, beating Kansas City goalkeeper Abby Smith from the top of the center circle, lifting the Pride to a 3-1 win.
Overview
The first meeting this year between the Pride and Current was a matchup of the only two undefeated teams in the NWSL. Since then, the teams have gone in different directions. The Pride won the next three games, extending their winning streak to six and their unbeaten run to a league-record 20 games.
The growth of the Pride was seen in their most recent contest against the Chicago Red Stars away from home. Last year, the team couldn’t find the back of the net despite dominating play for 90 minutes. The Red Stars scored on a counterattack, pulling out a 1-0 win. The Pride learned from those mistakes Sunday night when Marta gave the visitors the lead in the 37th minute. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines addressed last year’s game prior to the start and they were able to keep Chicago off the score sheet, winning 1-0.
The most impressive part of the Pride’s season has been their defense. The back line has seen multiple changes, including an Olympic injury to center back Rafaelle, causing Emly Sams to move inside and rookie Cori Dyke starting the last three games at right back. However, the teamwide defending has kept their opponents from scoring, resulting in the Pride conceding the fewest goals in the league.
The last meeting between the Pride and Current was the last game before the Olympic break. The Current had extended their unbeaten run to 17 games, a new league regular-season record. The Pride’s win in Kansas City matched that feat and they surpassed it the following game.
The Current have struggled since the Olympics ended, losing their first two games — 4-1 to the Washington Spirit and 2-1 to the North Carolina Courage. They returned home on Sept. 7, where they beat the last-place Utah Royals 1-0.
Despite their recent struggles, the Current are still in third place and contenders for the NWSL Shield, sitting three points behind the Spirit and nine points behind the Pride. They’ve had the most potent attack this season, scoring a league-high 43 goals. The biggest offensive threat has been Chawinga, who leads the league in goals this year with 15 in 19 games. She’s three ahead of second-place Banda, who has scored 12 goals in 15 games. The 15 goals scored by Chawinga is 10 ahead of Bia Zaneratto and Lo’eau LaBonta, who have five goals each.
In addition to scoring frequently, Chawinga has been the primary provider for the Current, tallying a team-high six assists, one ahead of Vanessa DiBernardo. Zaneratto has also been a significant factor in goal contributions, adding four assists to her five goals.
Stopping Chawinga will be the primary task for the Pride tonight. Their 12 goals conceded this year is the fewest in the league and they’re coming off a similar game where they had to shut down a player who posed the most significant threat. The Pride kept Chicago’s Mallory Swanson off the score sheet and the attacker only took two long-distance shots.
“Competitive game. Both teams want to go after it,” Hines said about tonight’s game. “I think, for us, like you said, quick turnaround from the game on Sunday against Chicago to playing against Kansas, who are also trying to win the shield this season. So I expect a competitive game on Friday. We have to focus on ourselves. We’re obviously coming to our own place in front of our own fans, and we want to continue that momentum. For us, it’s another game. It’s the next game in the schedule, and we want to continue to keep winning and keep that separation from the pack that’s trying to chase us.”
The Pride are without seven players tonight due to injury, including Grace Chanda (thigh), Simone Charley (ankle), Mariana Larroquette (thigh), Luana (illness), Sofia Manner (concussion), Megan Montefusco (heel), and Rafaelle (foot). Additionally, Ally Lemos is with the U-20 USWNT at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Kansas City is without Alex Pfeiffer (knee), Gabrielle Robinson (knee), and Mallory Weber (knee) due to injury. Claire Hutton is on international duty with the U.S. U-20s and Michelle Cooper (ankle) is listed as questionable.
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Cori Dyke.
Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Angelina.
Midfielders: Summer Yates, Marta, Adriana.
Forward: Barbra Banda.
Bench: McKinley Crone, Morgan Gautrat, Ally Watt, Carrie Lawrence, Brianna Martinez, Julie Doyle, Carson Pickett, Evelina Duljan, Celia.
Kansas City Current (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Almuth Schult.
Defenders: Elizabeth Ball, Kayla Sharples, Alana Cook, Hailie Mace.
Midfielders: Debinha, Vanessa DiBernardo, Lo’eau LaBonta.
Forwards: Ellie Wheeler, Temwa Chawinga, Nichelle Prince.
Bench: AD Franch, Bia Zaneratto, Desiree Scott, Stine Ballsager, Michelle Cooper, Izzy Rodriguez, Bayley Feist, Kristen Hamilton, Hildah Magaia.
Referees
REF: Alyssa Nichols.
AR1: Brian Marshall.
AR2: Ben Rigel.
4TH: Alejo Calume.
VAR: Shawn Tehini.
AVAR: Matthew Rodman.
How to Watch
Match Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video.
Twitter: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).
Enjoy the match. Go Pride!
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Sign Midfielder Morgan Gautrat to New Contract
The Pride have signed defensive midfielder Morgan Gautrat through 2025 with a mutual option for 2026.
The Orlando Pride announced this afternoon that the club has signed midfielder Morgan Gautrat to a new contract. The deal runs through the 2025 NWSL season with a mutual option for 2026.
“Morgan has come in and proven to be a great addition to our club. She has quickly become someone that our younger players can look to for guidance and advice off the pitch, while also putting in strong, consistent performances on it,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “Morgan knows how to win at the club and international level and has helped bring that knowledge and professionalism into our locker room. We are very excited to have Morgan with us for the future.”
The Pride acquired Gautrat in a trade with the Kansas City Current on Jan. 11. In exchange for the veteran defensive midfielder and $50,000 in allocation money, the Pride sent a 2024 international spot to the Current.
Gautrat has made 14 appearances in all competitions this season for the Pride (13 regular season and three NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup), with nine starts and recorded 711 minutes. She started alongside Angelina when Haley McCutcheon was at right back, but has split time with the Brazilian in recent weeks as both players have spent time on the injured list.
“I am so excited to be staying here with the Orlando Pride for the next couple of years. What we have here and the culture that is being created is something so special and I am thrilled to be a part of it,” Gautrat said in the club’s press release. “Growing up playing here in Florida and now playing here professionally has only solidified that Orlando is home. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to represent this badge and will work as hard as I can to help the club achieve all of its goals.”
Gautrat was the first overall pick of the 2015 NWSL Draft by the Houston Dash out of the University of Virginia. She went on to play for the Chicago Red Stars, French side Olympique Lyonnais, and the Current before joining the Pride.
Internationally, Gautrat represented the United States at the 2010 U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The St. Simons Island, GA, native made her senior team debut on June 15, 2013, making 88 appearances for her country with eight goals and 11 assists. She was part of the 2015 and 2019 United States teams that won back-to-back World Cup titles.
What It Means for Orlando
The Pride spent the last couple of years in a full rebuild, replacing aging veterans with young players. They narrowly missed out on the playoffs in 2023, spurring the feeling that they could compete this year. For this reason, they brought in several veterans to fill out the lineup, including Gautrat.
While Gautrat hasn’t been a regular starter for the Pride, the depth she provides the team has been valuable, especially when Angelina was injured. She’s currently behind Angelina and McCutcheon on the depth chart, but will slide into the starting role when either is injured, McCutcheon is needed on the back line, or when Angelina is away on international duty with Brazil.
The midfielder has had some trouble with injuries the past few years, contributing to her absence from the national team and her trade from Kansas City. Those problems have arisen at times this year when she suffered a lower leg injury and a concussion. However, she’s been healthy for most of the season and provides a veteran presence in a young locker room, making her a valuable part of the 2025 squad.
Lion Links: 9/17/24
Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Lion Links: 9/16/24
Orlando City’s Fullback Dilemma
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 0-0 as Pride Remain Unbeaten in 2024
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Nashville SC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 9/5/24
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoPredictions for Orlando City’s Remaining Games of the 2024 Season
-
Orlando Pride1 week agoOrlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Win Sixth Straight
-
Photo Galleries2 weeks agoOrlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Photo Gallery
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 9/3/24
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride Sign Goalkeeper McKinley Crone to New Contract
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoFinding Glory? The Orlando Pride “Just Keep Winning”